Casino Won't Pay Out UK 2026: Your Rights, Step by Step
Rachel Doughty
Updated
The cause of most stuck withdrawals is an ID or money check. There are, however, cases where the cause is not as obvious. Here, we will go through those cases, what the law states in such cases, and next steps. The first are the three rights that the Gambling Commission states for consumers.
- Any timeWithdraw when you choosewithout unreasonable delay or restriction
- In fullNo forced instalmentsyou do not have to take it in parts
- No deadlineNo confiscation for inactionfor not logging in or proving ID within a set time
Why a casino won't pay out: the eight usual reasons
Circle the point that corresponds to your case. The majority of cases listed below occur in stuck payouts.
| Reason | What you see | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| ID check not finished | The withdrawal sits at pending and the casino asks for a passport, driving licence or a bill. | Send clear copies once, through the upload page, and ask support to confirm each one was accepted. See casino verification. |
| Money laundering checks | You are asked where the money came from: payslips, bank statements, a tax return. | Send what is asked and ask what is still missing if the answer is vague. See our guide to source of funds checks. |
| Bonus wagering unfinished | The cashier shows a smaller withdrawable balance than your total, or blocks the request. | Check the bonus page for wagering left. You can usually cancel the bonus and keep your own deposit. |
| A bonus term was broken | Winnings are removed and the message mentions "irregular play" or a maximum bet. | Ask in writing which term, and which bets broke it. Our guide on whether a casino can keep your winnings covers this. |
| Wrong payment method | The request fails or is split across two methods. | Many casinos pay back to the method you paid in with first, up to the amount you deposited. |
| Below or above a limit | The button is greyed out, or only part of the amount goes through. | Check the minimum (often £5 or £10) and any maximum in the payments page. Our withdrawal fees table lists ten casinos, and our high withdrawal limit casinos page lists the maximums. |
| Account under review or closed | You cannot log in, or the account is locked with a balance in it. | Ask for your balance in writing. A casino can close an account, but it must follow its terms on your money. |
| Still inside the processing time | The status says pending, and nothing looks wrong. | Check the time the casino promises (table below) before you chase it. |
Can a casino ask for ID only when you withdraw?
Generally, no. This requirement is stated in the casino’s operating license.
All casinos operating in the UK are obligated to confirm the customer’s name, address and date of birth before they partake in gambling activities. Licence Condition 17.1.1 states that a withdrawal request “must not result in a requirement for additional information to be supplied as a condition of withdrawal if the licensee could have reasonably requested that information earlier.”
The Commission’s interpretation states that a casino that delays a withdrawal because of missing ID “may be in breach of Licence Condition 17.”
There is an exception to this case. The 2017 Money Laundering Regulations state a casino is required to carry out customer identification checks, in customer transactions exceeding £2,000, including any withdrawals. Hence, requesting CID checks, payslips, or other similar checks after a customer has made a large win, is legal. A CID check requested after a customer has made numerous small wins, is often unjustified.
You can also report the incident to the Commission. It can take regulatory action against the casino.
When a casino removes winnings over a bonus term
The most restrictive provisions of the provisions are related to a case handled by the Competition and Markets Authority.
- Your deposit is yours
Under undertakings four operators gave the CMA, a deposit balance (i.e. the money that a customer has paid and is not a bonus) is always withdrawable, and there are no restrictions on the withdrawal of that money, even if a bonus is still active.
- The banned play must be written down
Terms and conditions of a bonus must define what type of play is considered to break a bonus. It is considered an unfair practice to specify that the casino will make the determination of what constitutes "abuse." The CMA prevented the casino from taking such a position.
- You are owed a full explanation
If a casino removes a customer’s winnings for breaking a bonus condition, the customer is entitled to know what he/she did that broke the provision. The casino cannot simply state that the customer engaged in “irregular play.”
- Some terms are fair to enforce
The most common restrictive provision of a bonus is a maximum stake while the bonus is active. If the customer breaks the provision, the bonus is forfeited and the customer is not entitled to the winnings. The customer is, however, entitled to the deposit.
To learn more about the forfeiture of customer winnings by a casino, please see Can A Casino Keep My Winnings?
How long should a casino take to pay out?
There is no set legal time. The fair test is the time the casino itself promises.
| Casino | What the casino says |
|---|---|
| MrQ | Processed within 60 seconds, or MrQ pays you £10 |
| Grosvenor | Most bank payouts arrive within 15 minutes |
| kwiff | Most withdrawals complete in under 30 minutes |
| BoyleSports | Aims to process in under 6 hours |
| BetVictor | Usually approved within 24 hours; weekend bank transfers go on Monday |
| LiveScore | Processed within 24 hours, then 1 to 3 working days to cards |
| BetMGM | 1 to 3 business days |
| Casumo | Reviewed within hours; approved or refused within 3 days |
| Duelz | Up to 72 hours of processing before payment |
| Midnite | Often minutes, 72 hours at most; cards up to 5 working days |
The Commission's line is that you can withdraw "without unreasonable delay". A payout well past the casino's own stated time, with no request for documents and no reason given, is a fair basis for a complaint. Reverse withdrawals are banned in Britain, so a pending payout cannot be played back into the account while it waits. If speed matters most to you, our list of fast withdrawal casinos ranks these payout times, with the fastest method for each.
What to do when a casino won't pay out
There are 6 steps. Always keep the information and always keep it in a format that’s hard copy.
- 1Read the status and your emails
Check your cashier’s section and your account messages. Check your email’s junk/spam folder.
- 2Ask support why, in writing
Contact customer support via email or live chat to find out the reason and what you can do to resolve it. Keep the supports and/or transcripts.
- 3Send what is asked, once
Never send your personal documents to an unverified email address. If the email is genuine, they will have a link or a web address to which you can upload the documents. Ask for confirmation.
- 4Make a formal complaint
If money has not been credited to your account after all this, complain to the casino and keep a copy. They have 8 weeks to respond and resolve your complaint. Our casino complaints page has the complaint letter.
- 5Go to the dispute service
You can refer to IBAS or eCOGRA (depending on what the casino has directed you to), whichever is appropriate, and keep a copy of the referral. You can find our comparison of IBAS and eCOGRA here.
- 6Report rule-breaking
Any time a casino breaks their terms, that is grounds for a complaint to the Gambling Commission. A complaint will not recover money the casino owes you, but it can lead to the Commission taking further action against the casino.
What happens to your money if the casino loses its licence
A suspension will not prevent a casino from allowing you to login to your account. You will still be able to withdraw funds.
When the Gambling Commission suspends a license, it doesn't prevent the casino from allowing customers to access their accounts to withdraw funds. The Commission has taken this action against several casinos, including BresBet, Bet St George and Targetlocal. If a casino has its license suspended, you should login and withdraw your funds.
Circumstances may differ. Your funds may not be protected, and therefore may be at risk, if the casino does not have adequate customer funds protection. Each casino is required to disclose its customer funds protection to you, and remind you of the protection every 6 months if your money is not protected. You should review this protection before funds are left in your account.
Before you sign up anywhere, check the casino licence on the register. An unlicensed site has no complaints route in Britain at all.
Do you need to pay someone to get your winnings?
Usually not, all of the above steps are free.
If a casino has no intention of honoring your withdrawal request, you should expect to see solicitors and claims firms at the top of your search results. If your complaint is against a licensed casino, you should not expect to incur costs for the IBAS process.
Legal advice can make sense for a large sum, above the £10,000 that IBAS members must honour, or where you are thinking about court. For anything else, try the free route first.
Be careful with anyone who contacts you offering to recover gambling money for an upfront fee. Check any firm independently before you pay it anything.
Casino won't pay out: questions
Can a gambling site keep my money?
Only in narrow cases set out in its terms, such as clear cheating, fraud or a clearly written bonus rule you broke. It must explain which term applies. Your deposit balance should always be withdrawable.
How long can a gambling company hold my money?
No fixed legal limit exists, but the Commission says you can withdraw without unreasonable delay. Judge it against the processing time the casino itself promises, plus the time for any checks it has asked you to complete.
Why is the casino asking for payslips before paying me?
Money laundering law requires checks once transactions reach £2,000, counting both deposits and withdrawals. A casino may also ask about your finances as part of safer gambling checks.
Can a casino ask for ID only when I withdraw?
Under licence condition 17.1.1 it should not ask for information at withdrawal that it could reasonably have asked for earlier. Legal checks, such as money laundering checks, are the exception.
What do I do if a bookie or casino won't pay me?
Ask support in writing what is holding the payment, send any documents requested, then make a formal complaint. After 8 weeks or a final response, take it free to IBAS or eCOGRA.
Will the Gambling Commission get my money back?
No. The Commission does not handle individual disputes or award money. It does want to hear about casinos breaking the rules, and it can take regulatory action against them.
Rachel Doughty
Editor, Casino Warnings · Bristol
Rachel reads the Gambling Commission's registers and enforcement notices, and the terms casinos publish for British players, then writes them up in plain English.
- Sources
- Gambling Commission guides "I can't withdraw my winnings" and "Age, ID and financial verification", licence condition 17.1.1, its licence suspension notices (2021 to 2026); Money Laundering Regulations 2017 reg 27; the 2018 CMA undertakings on online gambling terms; IBAS consumer FAQ; the published terms of the ten casinos we review.
